How to Pack and Move Your Fish Tank | Ample Moving | Movers NJ

How to Pack and Move Your Fish Tank

One of the biggest worried homeowners have when moving their house is what will happen with their pets. These are precious members of our families, and moving will be a huge stress for them. Because of this, their safety and health are of utmost importance. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about puppies and cats, or smaller pets like fish and hamsters. Every one of them needs special attention and care! However, when packing your home, some might have equipment that’s more complicated than the rest. The fish in their tank are the best example of this. Now only do you need to care about them when you pack and move your fish tank, but you also need to be careful with the aquarium itself. In this article, we give you step by step instruction on how to ensure your fish and their home have a safe move.

Prepare to pack and move your fish tank

Just like with everything during your move, really, packing and moving an aquarium will take some prior preparation and work. Only then can you be sure what you are doing, and you will be comfortable when moving it. Otherwise, you might feel like you are rushing into something blindly. Not only that, but without the preparation, you can damage the fish tank or injure your fish – as well as cause damages to many other items in your truck.

This is why it’s important to examine the whole moving process. If you are working with professional movers, then talk to them about transporting a fish tank. They will have some useful tips and tricks to share with you. Also, their services might include packing an aquarium, so it’s not a bad idea to discuss that option with them.

Bubble wrap will help you pack and move your fish tank.
Use a lot of bubble wrap.

So, first, figure out how you are going to drain your fish tank. You will need a couple of buckets (the five-gallon ones are the best), a fishnet and a siphon hose. Also, you need packing materials to pack and move your fish tank safely – mainly sturdy boxes as well as padding – some bubble wrap or packing paper. You should also look over the plans of your new home, and figure out where the fish tank will go after the move. This is important because it should be your priority to set it up as soon as you move. You need to allow your fish to acclimate to their new surrounding – as well as spend as little time as possible in a container.

Siphoning the fish tank

The next step is to carefully siphon the fish tank into the buckets. However, be careful – you don’t want to overfill them. This will only lead to the buckets (and the fish inside) spilling out during transport. Instead, fill them only two-thirds of the way. After that, use your fishnet to carefully grab your fish and deposit them into the buckets.

Buckets.
Get a lot of clean buckets.

Of course, here you need to think about the number of fish you have. You don’t want to stuff all the fish you own into one bucket. It can be uncomfortable for the fish, as well as dangerous. Then, you should add lids on the buckets, and poke holes in them. Your fish will need to breathe no matter how long they are staying in the buckets – but try to keep that time at the minimum.

As far as the buckets go when you pack and move your fish tank, try to get those that don’t let the light through. This way, your fish will be calmer. This is because they usually calm down and sleep during the night, and this will make them believe it is nighttime.

Draining the tank

After you have siphoned most of the water out, there is still a lot of work to do. Now is the time to get all the decorations out. Before you start, though, you should make sure you have taken every fish out. Count them, or check behind and under the decor items you have. You don’t want a fish hiding there when you start pulling stuff out!

Cat and a fish tank.
Remember to keep your fish safe at all times.

The next step is to take everything out. Plants, toy castles and chests, pumps, light installations – anything that you can remove, you should remove. Then, you can dry everything up and let packing services NJ pack them carefully into safe boxes. As far as the bottom of the tank goes – all sand and gravel can go into another bucket for transport. Then, drain the remaining water out and prepare to pack and move your fish tank.

Packing your fish tank

Finally, the time has come to pack and move your fish tank. This might be the most important step in the whole process – securing it for the move. As you already know, the majority of aquariums are made of glass. This makes them pretty susceptible to breaking during their transport. So, first, if it is possible, disassemble your fish tank. It will be easier to protect each piece separately then doing it when it’s all together.

After that, wrap everything up in bubble wrap. This will protect it from bumps in the road, as well as other items. Make sure you securely tape everything up – you don’t want the glass slipping out of the wrapping and breaking off. After that, you should also get a moving blanket or a furniture pad, and wrap the whole thing in it. Finally, find a good, safe spot to place the tank on in the truck. Ask residential movers NJ to help you with this if you feel uncomfortable doing it. Once you pack and move your fish tank, you just reverse the process at your new home – and your fish can enjoy their new home as well!

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